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River of Destiny Church - Part 1
Brian Guerin

Brian Guerin (birth year unknown–present). Brian Guerin is an American pastor, author, and founder of Bridal Glory International and Ascend Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Raised in a non-religious home, he became a Christian in college after a profound spiritual experience he described as a divine encounter with a falcon, which ignited his pursuit of intimacy with God. Guerin serves as the senior leader of Ascend Church, where his preaching emphasizes a deep relationship with Jesus, the power of God’s presence, and preparing believers for Christ’s return. He founded Ascend Academy, a ministry school, and travels globally, speaking at conferences and on platforms like TBN and GOD-TV, often highlighting signs, wonders, and prophetic insights. His books, including God of Wonders: Experiencing God’s Voice Through Signs, Wonders, and Miracles, To Know Him: Discovering Experiential Intimacy with God, The Altar: Preparing for the Return of Jesus Christ, and Divine Encounter, focus on spiritual growth and encountering God. Known for sermons like “Mary’s at His Feet” and “The Secret Place,” he encourages distraction-free prayer and devotion, drawing from Scriptures like Luke 10:41–42 and Matthew 6:6. Guerin’s ministry seeks to draw the Church into closeness with Christ, which he calls the “highest prize in life.” He said, “Your heart can burn, and you still not know Him.”
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Sermon Summary
Brian Guerin emphasizes the vital importance of deep intimacy with the Lord as the foundation of life, urging believers to prioritize loving God above all else. He reflects on the parable of the ten bridesmaids from Matthew 25, highlighting the necessity of having extra oil for their lamps, which symbolizes the intimate relationship with Jesus that sustains believers through dark times. Guerin warns against complacency and encourages the church to be wise and prepared, as the return of the bridegroom is imminent. He stresses that true intimacy with God cannot be shared or borrowed, but must be cultivated personally in the secret place. Ultimately, he calls for a shift in focus towards a deeper relationship with Christ, as this will be crucial in the last hour of the church.
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Sermon Transcription
Let's jump in, I won't keep you guys too long, and then we'll just pray and see where we end up. Do we have overflow this morning or no? Oh we do? Ah, that's awesome. Let me go tell them hello. What are you lovely people doing? Wow, good morning. So beautiful and handsome. Wow, that's more full this morning, okay. Yes, indeed. So yeah, I just want to talk to you briefly, probably from my heart, I'm going to open the scriptures or just let it come out, but on just intimacy deeply with the Lord that's so, so vital. Really I look at it as the foundation to all of life. I mean, why we are here. First and great command, Jesus says, you know, easy. You know, the first thing we should do, the great first, number one, priority, and the greatest, meaning its value is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul. And I think sometimes if we're not careful, far too often we bypass what seems so obvious, and we master, we major in the minors, but we minor in the major. The majors, and listen to him, the major is loving Jesus Christ, and he's looking for this company in this hour, men and women alike. I think sometimes men, we gravitate naturally to like, yeah, Lord, mighty in battle. You know what I mean? Let's slay demons. And I love all that too, but he made us to love him first and foremost. It's so clear throughout scripture, all through the New Testament. And something I've been preaching out of a lot lately, I didn't know why, but I was so drawn right at the end of 2019, not knowing we're about to jump into 2020, with the parables of the ten bridesmaids, and I'll probably touch on that some and just hop around a good bit, but that parable was just jumping off the page at me. There's so much oil on it. And I didn't realize until I was digging deeper than Matthew 24, it's, as many of you know, some of you may not, but Matthew 24 is basically the mascot chapter on the end times from the words of Jesus. He gives the whole infrastructure for what the end times will look like. And I don't believe tomorrow he's going to return or anything, but you could tell 2020 shifted us into a new era that looked similar. You know what I mean? Okay, now things hit the fan, which I kind of get excited about, to be honest with you, because it's kind of like it feels like we went from the playoffs to, like, the Super Bowl or something that matters now, you know? And you can tell what worked in past seasons isn't going to work now. And so if you still want to play games, this isn't the time for it, you know? And oh, she was so beautiful dancing. Is it Alana? Yeah, you are gorgeous. I got you on my iPhone. I was videoing. So beautiful. So proud of you guys. Yeah, sorry we were late. Starbucks had, like, a four-mile-long line. I was like, revival at Starbucks, man. So we totally missed the Lord on that one. That was not prophetic at all. Just grab Starbucks quick and we'll make it. And it was like, oh, my gosh. And so please forgive us. But we came in right at the Dance Like David dance, and it was glorious. It was like a bomb went off in here. So, so, so good. But yeah, you see in Matthew 24, you know, Jesus is like, look, it's going to get a little tight, get rough. We know Scripture is clear that the last hour of the church will be our greatest hour, though, as well. Glory shining just full in its brightness. And so Jesus gives this kind of ramification for the end times. It's dark. This will happen. It's that and the other. Rumors of wars, you know, plagues, whatever, earthquakes. And then it will be as though it were in the days of Noah. I mean, that's just a little bit rough. And then all of a sudden he takes the strangest gear shift in Scripture, which many of you know when Jesus, when you go to a separate chapter in the Bible, it wasn't like Jesus just kind of stopped there and then like, we'll pick up tomorrow, boys. Like it wasn't like that. He was still going, you know. And so the strangest shift, and actually it's come to be my most favorite parable, although they're kind of all are and they apply, of course. But Matthew 24, Jesus is like, look, this, this, and this, this is coming. You can bank on it. It'll be our finest hour, though. And then he just shifts directions. He goes, and at that time, it's one of the only parables. I think it's the only one I can find where he correlates a parable with a time or a season. And so let's say this is Matthew 24, this pulpit. Okay, the time. It's going to get rough, get tight. Things are going to shift. There's going to be persecution, whatever. Well, all of a sudden he shifts off of it and he goes then, depending on what version you look at, he goes then or at that time. The kingdom of heaven will be like this. Meaning he attaches this parable of the bridesmaids to a time. And we're in it now, I'm telling you. You guys know. How do you sense we're in the last hour? Hands down. And I'm excited like the Lord chose us to carry the last baton of this race. That's pretty wild, you know. And so he gives the whole, you know, breakdown. And then he goes, but listen to me. At that time, when you see that shift into the earth, the kingdom of heaven will be like this. And he goes, there'll be 10 bridesmaids. And it's like, what? This is the strangest shift ever. He goes into this like romance type theme of bridal intimacy, hinging off the end times. And it makes sense because he's coming back for his bride. Look, listen, the book ends. The very end of this book is the spirit and the bride say come. This whole theme is set for that, that you and I would become sons and daughters of the father and a bride to the bridegroom king. It's all kind of meshed into the same. Ephesians 5, 27, I quoted it last night. He's after a bride without spot or wrinkle. And listen, John the Baptist, he coined the phrase of the bridegroom first in the gospels. And what a lot of people don't realize is he had the spirit of Elijah on him. John the Baptist, right? Jesus is like, look, if you can believe it or not, he was Elijah who is still to come. You all remember the Mount of Transfiguration account of they go up and I guess who comes? Elijah and Moses. You remember that? Why? We serve a supernatural God. I mean, you know, that's just wild. So anyway, he glows like the sun, basically close water and bleach it. You could bleach him. Moses, Elijah show up, which I believe honestly are the two witnesses that pop up again in Revelation 11. It's to each his own. Some people think Enoch is whatever, but the resume really lines up. I'll say that because the witnesses in Revelation 11, one turns water into blood, calls on plagues. It's the total resume of Moses. And then Elijah ones, you know, can call for droughts. And so anyway, and then they show up again on the Mount of Transfiguration. But Jesus comes down and they kind of ask him and he says, listen, you may not be able to believe it, but John the Baptist, you know, he was Elijah who is still to come. And we all know Elijah will come again right before the return of the Lord. You guys remember that Jesus will, you know, the spirit of Elijah will come again right before the return of the Lord. So I believe as well, John the Baptist carrying the spirit of Elijah had a revelation on Jesus as the bridegroom King that nobody else had. He says, I'm just glad to be a friend of the bridegroom and be at that wedding. And it's like, it was just strange revelation. I believe he had knowing that same spirit of Elijah will come right before the bride comes to get us. The bridegroom King comes to get his bride. If that makes sense to you guys, all that being said, there's been a theme, you know, that leads, and I believe builds even stronger to this last hour of him coming for his bride. And you see it, Matthew 24, he shifts and says, at that time, the kingdom of heaven will be like this. There'll be 10 bridesmaids and just want to kind of let this hit home. Hopefully it'll resonate even more fully with us. I saw him again recently and experienced Jesus that messed me up. I was weeping. It was really precious, kind of accidentally slipped into it, but I've been seeing this theme where he's really after us in a deep, intimate way. And now's the time not to just get caught up in too many other things other than loving him well, then, and letting destiny come from that place. You know, listen, now's not that, or look, I say, just do whatever you got to do because sometimes if we're honest, we're hanging on to things cause they're comfortable with their crutches, even jobs because they're certain, whatever it is, just life. And we don't want to get before him one day and be like him, but you know, a bit like, man, you didn't go on him because of that. You know, it's just, it's not the time for it. And so there's 10 bridesmaids. Jesus is, I'll just kind of read through it from my heart. But he says, the kingdom of heaven will be like this. There'll be 10 bridesmaids. Five will be wise. Five were foolish. I feel like I was trying to press like, Lord, why 10 and you split them down the middle with five and five. We'll just split this. Who wants to be the wise and foolish section? They already claimed it. So they're the wise ones. I'm totally teasing. If you want to get up and move and hop over to this section, feel free. Man, I love to tell this story. I was preaching in Arizona one time. And, uh, it was very similar to this actually, where the crowd, there was an aisle split up the middle with two big halves like this. Holy spirit thought that'd be the brilliant time to break in with supernatural joy. Drunkenness smashed the place in this half right here. Just get totally drunk right down the middle. And these people were just stoic. I'm like, how do you preach in this? You know? And, uh, the Holy Spirit was playing games on me. And that was a tough one, man. It was funny because I mean, I could say anything. I'm like, yeah, turn with me to Acts chapter 28 or something or 20, whatever. And they're like, God. I'm like, Jesus loves you. Ah, they're gone. They don't hear anything I'm saying. This whole other half's like, they're just glued. Like, yeah, go ahead. They're wanting to hear me preach. And I'm like, I'm stuck. You know? I feel like the Holy Spirit's like, gotcha. Navigate that, you know? Normally joy, you know, it's kind of takes over, but it was super awesome. So anyway, but I remember thinking like, why did he pick 10 and split five and five? Like, where's that scripture? Like, where is he coming from, Jesus? And I believe partly it could be if you look at Solomon's temple right outside the gate, the entrance point to the Holy of Holies, where you come in right outside the temple. There's these 10 cleansing vessels, and they're split five and five. One on the north wall, one on the south. And I believe he was pulling from that because you see it says it's 10 bridesmaids or 10 virgins, clean, spotless. And sometimes we can be born again, totally born again in the spirit, live clean. But that depth of true intimacy, we can neglect at a real level. And by default, it keeps us out of the inner place with him. And I love, I've been quoting out of this one a lot lately, Hebrews 10, 14. It says, he has forever made you perfect. He's forever made perfect those that are being made holy. And so your spirit's born again, but how many of our soul has to be renewed? So thank God he sees us through the blood of Jesus, all 10 cleansing vessels, pure, holy, forever made perfect. As you're being made holy, you know, and sometimes we love to camp out on the, we're forever perfect in Christ and we don't ever renew our minds and become more sanctified and holy. And so we need both. How many of you guys, we need both. And I want to encourage you guys, yield, be pliable to the Lord, let him purify. Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2. If you want to be a special utensil in the hand of God, keep yourself pure. James 1, 27, he says, this is perfect religion. You know, ministering to the widows, the orphans, and keeping yourself unstained from the world. Well, you're getting legal, brother. All our righteousness is in Christ. No, it is. But also he's forever made perfect those that are being made holy. You guys know what I mean? You hear the balance there? Super healthy. Because I've heard a kind of a little too heavy pendulum swing sometimes on the grace side, which again, you cannot overexaggerate, but it's like it takes a yielding to our life unto it. So anyway, you have these 10 vessels, five on five. And Jesus says there was five foolish and five wise. We all pretty much know the passage in here. If you read through, it says it was at midnight, which speaks of the darkest hour. Isn't that unique too? It's ironic. How many of the darkness is going to increase? You can just go ahead and, you know, check that off your list if you thought it was going to do anything different. Me and Jason were talking about it yesterday evening, how it just seems like it's increasingly going there. If Jesus says it will be as it were in the days of Noah, I mean, that tells you a little something. But Isaiah 60, 61, I mean, we're going to be shining like blinding light bulbs, you know? And so it's just going to be awesome. See? Fire alarm or whatever that is. Oh, amber alert. Whoa, Jesus. Well, I forget what those do. Children. Ah, OK. Get them, Lord. Get them, Holy Ghost. Did I get that? I always get left out on this stuff. So anyway, midnight, darkest hour. And this is when the bridegroom comes. So listen, the Bible says there is 10 virgins, meaning they're they're clean, spotless, born again. And they're all this is, again, the theme of the end times. You understand the overriding theme is the only parable. Really, I can find where Jesus is. And at that time, other times look, prodigal son, wheat in the tares, all the parables beautiful in their own right. But at that time, this is how the kingdom of heaven will be. There's brides chasing after a bridegroom. And listen, you barely start cracking the book in this area right now and pursuing him from this angle. You're going to feel oil on it. It's a timely thing. It's a window we're in. And Jesus, I want to know you in this way. How many know sometimes we can know the Father really well and the Holy Spirit, but sometimes Jesus, it's a bit vague and obscure. Sometimes we can know Jesus really well and not know the Holy Spirit. We need to know the fullness of the Godhead, too. That's another big one. Yeah, we don't want to get too top heavy. I just want all I love it in the epistles where they say we talk to you about the fellowship with the father and the son that your joy may be complete. We want the fullness of all of it. Anyway, so these ten bridesmaids are all going to find the bridegroom. This is the backdrop on this whole scene right here. They have lamps, all have lamps, all dress the same, all clean, pure virgins. Unstained from the world. Going to find the bridegroom. And there's different teachings on this passage. And I love them all. I take them all. I don't know if you guys. I'm never like either or. I'm both and. I'm just whatever the revelation is. If it's truth, let's go for it. I think it's Psalm 78 says that the word is purified seven times over. And I believe there's depths of truths and revelations that you just take them all and apply them. But anyway, so all ten are going to find the bridegroom. Is that an amber alert again? Is that an overflow? I got a delayed alert. Anyway, so they're all heading to the bridegroom. All have lamps, oil. And trying to find the bridegroom. Midnight hour comes. But right before though, they all fall asleep. How many of you love to sleep? Sleep's good. Jesus took a nap on the boat. I would have thought that's where he would have brought the rebuking of who's foolish and wise. You know. Like, ah, the foolish ones were just being lethargic in the last hour and weary and slept. But that was no problem with Jesus. Sometimes life presents problems. You need to rest and that's okay. But he stops and he says the foolish, this is the only thing that set the foolish apart from the wise. Which ones are you guys again? Oh, that thing's going off again. The wise, okay. You guys, don't you dare. I'm teasing. That's awesome. So everybody in here is a wise. But the only thing he sets them apart with is the oil or the lack thereof. It's the only element in this whole story that sets them apart. Everything else is the exact same. Clean, pure, direction. Listen, and why I love this parable is because it with laser focus hones in on you and I as believers. I don't know if anybody in here is not a believer. Anybody not born again? I was about to trap you and do an altar call. But if so, you want to give your life to Jesus. But it really hones in on you and I. They're not from this world. The lost aren't seeking the bridegroom. They're not virgins. So it kind of hones in on you and I. He says the foolish didn't bring extra oil for their lamps. Just what they had in the moment. The wise wisdom in this hour, in this last hour, it's telling you the word to bring extra oil. And that's what I want to expound on. They all take a nap, fall asleep, and midnight came. Darkest hour. Bam. Bridegroom shows up. He shows up in the darkest hour. A cry comes. The bridegroom has come. Bible says they all woke up and they're all sleeping. You want to come act it out with me? Come act like you're sleeping. You'll be the wise ones. You want to lay over here? I'll sit here. You got to act like you're sleeping. All right. Wake up. Yep. Okay. Wake up. And then act like you have a lamp. Like a lamp in your hand. You can act like it. Yep. So the Bible says they went to trim the wicks and light their lamps because the bridegroom's here. Because you need a lamp to see in the darkest hour. You've got to have a burning bright flame right now in this darkest hour to see to get to the bridegroom. So they stand up. You want to stand up? You're so beautiful. And the foolish ones, which is me, say, oh my gosh, I didn't bring any extra oil. Meaning my flame. Back then these lamps were olive oil that would keep the flame burning. So they look to the wise ones. Alana, how do you spell it? A-L-A-N-A. Oh, double N's. Double portion. That's beautiful. So the foolish ones look to the wise ones and say, hey, give me some of your extra oil. My flame's going to go out. The bridegroom's right there at this door. You're going to see there's a door there. Wise ones, rightfully so, say, I don't have enough for both of us. And listen, this is not where you do the good cliche Christian thing of, sure, have some of mine. No, this is bridegroom now. Get your own. I'm serious. This is the biblical way here. This is Jesus Christ. Nothing comes in the way of this. And I want to just encourage you at home. Prioritize everything around being with him. And so Alana wisely says, I can't help you. You get your own. You did amazing. Give me a hug. Give her a hand. You can be seated. Or you can hang with me. Either way. And so they, you know, this is not one of those times where, sure, give. If someone asks it, no, you don't give here. This is oil. And really, truthfully, what it is is because it can only be produced by you in a secret place. This oil. Because you'll see they, you know, the wise ones look to the fullest. They're like, I don't have enough. And that doorway's right there. The bridegroom's here. My whole reason for living has come. And there's not a chance that I'm about to, you know, give you oil so my lamp will go out so it can't get through the door. But as they look to him, he says, look, hurry up and go buy some. How many of you know sometimes it will cost you to keep your intimate flame burning bright? Jesus even says, look, buy from me gold refined by fire, white garments. It's costly. A lot of people don't like that, the compressed way. And really it's our greatest joy that we've been given. But also, if we're honest to the flesh, it's really the lens you look at it. It can be costly. But it costs to protect the secret place, to say no to things in your schedule, to cut things out, to live set apart. You know what I mean? And we've got to be that way in this hour. So the wise, they're like, yep, man, I got oil. Thank God. But you, it's a bad day. So the foolish, it says they run off to try and hurry up and buy some. But listen, at that darkest hour, it's too late. And this isn't meant to be a heavy thing. It's just a Bible thing. They go actually buy oil. But when they came back, the Bible says at midnight, which also speaks of a new day. And I believe prophetically there's installments. When we reshift to get more oil, there's a new day we can set up for our life to step through, a new doorway. So at midnight, not only you'll notice a door opened of entering in to, I believe, that Solomon deeper place where the vessels are on the outside. But 12 o'clock midnight, the darkest hour, also what happens is a new day shifts. So today's Saturday at midnight. It goes into Sunday. It's a new day. It's a new time. It's a new transition in destiny. So this bridegroom theme, you know, Jesus comes to bring you into a new day. You can look at it prophetically now, but also for the end. And there's a doorway there. And the foolish come back. And the Bible says the wise virgins had already come in to the wedding feast. It's all in this backdrop right here. Bridegroom, wedding. They enter in. And the door shuts. They came back knocking, Lord, Lord. And this is something you will always see, too, at the end, that people assume. As believers, sometimes we often assume we know him at a deep level, and we don't always. You know, Philippians 3, 8. That's why I was loving that song so much last night, too, to know him that deep. There's a deep knowing he's after right now, a real deep knowing that he wants us to know him in an intimate way. Now, just up here, Philippians 3, 8, Paul says, I count all things as garbage when compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. He doesn't say everything else is worthless, but just when compared to that. Do you understand the difference there? He says, look, when I compare it to this right here, becoming one with Jesus, knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, everything else is garbage. There's nothing else of value when you match it up to that. But at the end, you see it in Matthew 25. Lord, Lord, they think they know him, and he says, I do not know you, meaning currently. Matthew 7, you all know the preachers. They said, Lord, Lord, we cast out devils in your name, prophesied in your name many mighty exploits. Same thing. They say, Lord, Lord, and he says, I never knew you. There's a difference there. So you can walk in gifts, and that's another thing that don't be fooled by. You know, he says, he says, I never knew you workers of iniquity. I was like, that had to have been a typo. That ain't God breathed, you know, like, how is that in the word? Casting out devils. These weren't like, you know, adulterers. These were preachers casting out devils in the name of the Lord, prophesying in the name of the Lord, doing many mighty exploits. The Bible says in the name of the Lord, Jesus stepped back and said, I don't know you boys. Furthermore, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you. So there was never a point in time of knowing them intimately. I believe the bridesmaids, they did have a depth of knowing in this journey, and their flame was burning bright at one time. They had oil, but the oil weaned at the end. It fell off, and he says, I do not know you. Do you hear the difference? There's a current knowing. So may we, in this hour above all, we want the knowing, you know, at the highest point. Again, not out of works. That's the whole thing. It's intimate driven. It's relationship, not out of like legalism, anything like this. But you'll find as you fall more in love with Jesus Christ, it'll be the highest prize of every day anyway. It's like the most valuable thing you can ever do, you know, to be with him. It's the most exciting thing. You realize his voice, his manna that came down from heaven is the bread of life. So I just really want to just hone in on that really, you know, and then pray with you guys here in a second. But that we reshift our life to those bridesmaids with plenty oil right now. And from what I can see in scripture, he condones excess. Like it doesn't, there's no stopping point. Just have too much right now in this hour, you know. I remember I was preaching a conference with a dear friend, Corey Russell. He's amazing. He's like a firebrand. Yeah, he's precious. He was under Mike Bickle for years, and now he's up at Upper Room. And so I hear him on the front row. He's down there. I'm preaching about this bridesmaids having oil. I said, we've got to have gallons, just jugs of extra oil in this hour, intimacy. See, I look at it as the secret place is what produces the oil because it's intimate driven. It's your lamp. Some people teach it's your lamps of your ministry shining out for those to see, which I love that too. Again, I'll take all the revelations. But also, if you look at it in its purest backdrop, they're trying to find the bridegroom. And that lamp's burning bright to see in the darkest hour to get him. And the oil that fuels that flame is intimacy that can only be produced in the secret place. That's why they couldn't give their oil to the foolish. That's why I can't give my oil to you. It's produced only in the secret place. You can't give me yours. And I believe every time we yield ourself unto being with him, we're like the shaking of his glory allows the olives to drop. And I believe this is what's happening in the secret place. And then the kabo, the weighty presence of God begins to crush the olives and produce oil and more oil as we dive into the word, more oil as we look into his face. And we wonder why our flame of our lamp's burning so bright. Like there's no way we can't see the door. There's no way at the darkest hour we can't find him. And don't even think that our lamp's about to go out because we've got, like, reservoirs, you know. So I never forget Corey. He's like, yeah, I'm sitting there talking about gallons and extra jugs. He goes, yeah, barrels. We need barrels of oil. Yeah. He's like, that's the word of the Lord, you know. I'm like, barrels? Wow. He took it up a whole other notch. And so in this hour, listen to me. You want to just rearrange. Listen. Now's not the time to just keep hanging on to what was. Why go around the mountain another year? Like, what for? I mean, eternity's around the corner. What for? I can feel that. Listen, right now, shift whatever you have to. Cut off relationships. Uh-oh. I know that's touchy, but man, if it's not life right now, I'm good. Bless you, but bless you over there. I need more distance. You're hindering. You're speaking death. You're just a weight. The Bible says throw off those weights that so easily entangle you. And run after him. And sometimes that's sins by ourselves, but sometimes it's people. They're a big ball and chain just dragging you behind, negative. And they don't see you through God's lens. They keep talking to you down here. And sometimes you go, mute button. Just delete. You know, pray for them, bless them, love them. But you know what I mean. Be considerate. And we love our neighbor. But I'm just saying right now is not the time to play games and give up oil. The wise bridesmaids that Jesus said, we're wise for that. They're like, I'm not giving you my oil. Jesus calls that wise. And sometimes by what we give our life over to, it takes away our oil. You know. No, cut it out. Listen. Just simplify and like go after him. Deepen the words. Surround yourselves with others that are wise bridesmaids. And the foolish, look, we're on the same journey, but there's going to be a day. This isn't like if. It will happen. And you'll see the sword come. And it's going to split the wise from the foolish. And right now that's what's happening within the church. The wise and the foolish are being split. Really. You can see people that have built up ministry things off of low oil and agenda and tactics. And, again, I'm for whatever hopefully points back to him. But also the Bible says we build upon his word and his words. That's the rock. And so when the shaking comes, you know, it won't shake these type things. So I want to encourage you guys that we fall on that side of wise brides in this hour. Just full of oil. You know what I mean? That we're so constantly abiding in him. Like I touched on last night, John 15. Oils are getting crushed. And we're just. And listen. People know it. They'll see a difference. You become super oily. Like that's what I love to talk about. They're like, what's different about you? Same haircut. I remember that shirt. You've been wearing it for five years now. That's how I am. It's bad. Because I just don't like to put a lot of effort into kind of what I'm trying to wear. I just need something I can repack and do laundry and repack. So I'll find a few outfits and just repeat them. And then I'm like, dang it. Those wore out. I've got to start over. But they're like, just same thing. Same vernacular. But there's something different about you. What happened? I said, oh, man, I don't know. I just know I love Jesus dearly. And there's been this oil that keeps getting produced from these olives being crushed with being with him. And I don't really know how it's happening. I don't have all the answers. I just love him so much. Just everything. I'm finding out more and more that everything, when compared to that, is really pretty useless. Really pretty pointless when compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus is my Lord. This is Paul, two-thirds of the New Testament. Raised the dead, you name it. But he was like, oh, yeah, yeah. Now, when we want to talk in the context of just value, knowing Christ Jesus is my Lord. And that's what these wise bridesmaids are on this last hour list. And they're just, you can't knock them off the path. They're driven by love. And love is the most powerful source you can ever walk in. You see it in the Song of Solomon. Fire can't put it out. Floods. It's unstoppable. Heaven will start plucking, folks. It's awesome. It just martyred them. Like, are you kidding me? I'll be married tomorrow. Persecution. Like, I don't, I don't, you don't understand. None of that lands with me. I'm so lost in love with him. Darkest hour. Man. Sorry, I need to clean this. Oh, thank you so much. It's obvious right there. Is that a horn of oil? That's epic. Never seen one in my life like that. Or whatever. It's literal oil. Oh, wow. But there's oil in that. That's so good. Oh, really? Wow. Is it a real horn? Whoa. Yeah, so. We need, yeah, extra oil, you know. And, and how it's done is loving him. You say, well, I just don't feel adequate enough. Welcome to my world. You know, everybody else is really, that's what I love about God. He's so loving and pure and true. He just wants people that love him. You say, well, I don't even know how to really pray. Well, just tell him that. You don't have to put on some big religious show. Just like, Jesus, I need you, man. I want to know you more. You just sit there and abide. His presence, it'll come. Day two, you go back in. No days off. Why? The bread of life is waiting to be delegated to you every day of your life. I'm the manna that came down from heaven, he said. John chapter six. And remember the manna in the Old Testament, it would come every day. And if you didn't partake of it for that day, remember what would happen? It would rot. And so you don't want to miss the bread for today, that manna. There's literally, from before you were born, God foreknew of today. There was fresh manna to come to you. He was trying to feed you. And you can shove it, neglect it, or partake in it. And just those in this hour that are full of oil, I'm telling you, you're going to thrive and be set apart. And just you can't really shake them in this last hour as the bridegroom comes. I hope that makes sense to you guys. And again, simply put, just going deep in the word, you know, he didn't really make this thing too complicated. Thank God. I'm not the sharpest pencil in the box, you know. So if he had made it super, like, mathematical or algebraic or something, I'd be like, oh, great. You know, Jesus helped me. Oh, great. But it's simple. It's just love him. And he put it inherently within us to love him. And so you worship. And I know that looks like many things. Pray in the Holy Ghost. How many of you pray in tongues? Awesome. I would encourage you if you don't, listen, go for that. Right now we need just all out everything we've been given by the gifts of the Spirit in the Bible. Pray in the Holy Ghost. Hours. Just go for it. Let heaven come. Get so lost on the abiding side. Look, the more you marry sitting at his feet, the less Martha you have to do. It happens. I'm telling you, marries are way more productive. And our natural kind of intellect thinks in reverse. We think I've got to do more to get more done. But abide in me is how you bear fruit. The fruit is most beautiful, productive, abounding when we abide in him. And you're like, then stuff just happens. You're like, man, I didn't even mean to do that. And so, but that's, yeah, I mainly wanted to hit that with you guys that we yield our life into that right now. Listen, heaven will meet you at that time. Not to neglect all the other times, too, and everything that's built up to this point. But there's an overriding theme that he's after with this bride from his slant of the bridegroom. And the Spirit and the bride saying, come, that is beautiful. And I'm seeing it just a common thread sewn throughout. And, yeah, so I want to encourage you guys in this hour. So if you want to stand, we'll pray and see what the Lord would do.
River of Destiny Church - Part 1
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Brian Guerin (birth year unknown–present). Brian Guerin is an American pastor, author, and founder of Bridal Glory International and Ascend Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Raised in a non-religious home, he became a Christian in college after a profound spiritual experience he described as a divine encounter with a falcon, which ignited his pursuit of intimacy with God. Guerin serves as the senior leader of Ascend Church, where his preaching emphasizes a deep relationship with Jesus, the power of God’s presence, and preparing believers for Christ’s return. He founded Ascend Academy, a ministry school, and travels globally, speaking at conferences and on platforms like TBN and GOD-TV, often highlighting signs, wonders, and prophetic insights. His books, including God of Wonders: Experiencing God’s Voice Through Signs, Wonders, and Miracles, To Know Him: Discovering Experiential Intimacy with God, The Altar: Preparing for the Return of Jesus Christ, and Divine Encounter, focus on spiritual growth and encountering God. Known for sermons like “Mary’s at His Feet” and “The Secret Place,” he encourages distraction-free prayer and devotion, drawing from Scriptures like Luke 10:41–42 and Matthew 6:6. Guerin’s ministry seeks to draw the Church into closeness with Christ, which he calls the “highest prize in life.” He said, “Your heart can burn, and you still not know Him.”